2026
9
US AI and Banking: 2026
2026-03-25T10:01:35+00:00
REPD9BD8FE2_B60C_437C_BD8F_E2B60CA37C4E
3695
192197
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Report
en_GB
Generative AI is reshaping the first stage of financial decision‑making. Nearly half of consumers have used AI tools, like ChatGPT, to help them choose a financial product, shifting a greater…
US
Banking and Payments
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
simple

US AI and Banking: 2026

"As third-party AI tools become a common starting point for product research, FIs must differentiate through personalized, contextual recommendations powered by customer relationships."

Amr Hamdi, Senior Analyst - Financial Services

Amr Hamdi, Senior Analyst - Financial Services

Generative AI is reshaping the first stage of financial decision‑making. Nearly half of consumers have used AI tools, like ChatGPT, to help them choose a financial product, shifting a greater share of research from banks’ owned channels to external platforms. While this shift is expected to grow over time, there is still a divide in consumers’ comfort with visible and invisible AI across broader financial contexts.

Consumers prefer AI when it’s in the background. Fraud monitoring and real‑time alerts are popular, likely because these tools are rooted in security and protection. However, when AI steps into the foreground through chatbots, automated advisory, or general customer service, comfort drops sharply, with nearly 60% preferring humans over AI for resolving account issues.

As AI becomes more central to banking, the challenge will be bridging these two modes. FIs must continue to strengthen the behind‑the‑scenes features consumers already rely on, while designing visible AI touchpoints to feel transparent, contextual, and supported by easy access to humans. Banks that strike this balance will foster trust as AI plays a larger role across the customer relationship.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Market factors affecting AI and banking
  • Usage of AI tools in financial product search
  • Experience with AI-powered banking features
  • Preference for AI vs humans
  • Attitudes toward AI and banking
Collapse All
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for AI and Banking
    • Opportunities
    • Contextual personalization will be a key differentiator for FIs in an AI-driven world
    • Graph 1: financial products bank-AI assistant helped with choosing, 2026
    • Humans edge out AI for financial advice, though the gap is close
    • Graph 2: preference for AI vs human, 2026
    • Reassure over data safety and isolation to overcome hesitations
    • Transparency and human availability are critical to easing AI concerns
    • Graph 3: top concerns with using AI-powered banking features, by generation, 2026
  2. THE MARKET

    • Consumers gravitate toward third-party AI for financial guidance
    • Graph 4: AI tools used to help choose a financial product, 2026
    • AI-driven guidance will test the limits of financial regulation
    • ChatGPT integrations highlight adjacent opportunities for aggregators
    • Economic pressures will drive vulnerable consumers to AI for cost savings
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Usage of AI tools in financial product search
    • Half of banked consumers use AI to choose financial products
    • Consumers are most likely to leverage AI for help choosing core financial products
    • Gen AI is reshaping credit card decisions for prime consumers
    • Graph 5: use of AI tools to help choose a financial product, by self-reported credit score, 2026
    • FIs face a blind spot in AI-driven discovery
    • AI tools are finding a home with parents seeking financial products
    • Graph 6: use of AI tools to help choose a financial product, by parental status, 2026
    • Experience with AI-powered banking features
    • Two thirds of under-45s make use of AI-powered chatbots in banking
    • AI experiences are concentrated around immediate and recurring needs
    • Graph 7: usage/experience with AI-powered banking features, 2026
    • Embedding AI into day-to-day touchpoints will accelerate engagement
    • Technology that is meant to improve financial outcomes is passing by consumers that need it most
    • Graph 8: usage/experience with AI-powered banking features, by current financial situation, 2026
    • AI-powered credit tools serve the middle but miss the extremes
    • Graph 9: usage/experience with AI-powered banking features, by self-reported credit score, 2026
    • Ensure alignment with subprime consumers to avoid alienation
    • Preference for AI vs humans
    • Deploy human and AI support in combination to enhance the user experience
    • Leverage AI for monitoring, but deploy humans for resolution
    • Graph 10: preference for AI vs human, 2026
    • Human preference for credit decisions is highest at the extremes
    • Graph 11: preference for humans across credit card decisions, 2026
    • AI advisory will find its home in middle-wealth households
    • Graph 12: preference for AI vs human in managing an investment portfolio, by household investable assets, 2026
    • Attitudes toward AI and banking
    • AI in banking faces a tension between trust and personalization
    • Graph 13: attitudes toward AI, 2026
    • Familiarity with AI is shaping expectations, but control remains the red line
    • Graph 14: attitudes toward AI, by use of AI to help choose a financial product, 2026
    • Young adults are open to trading some control for value
    • Graph 15: attitudes toward AI, by generation, 2026
  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • Bank of America downplays AI-specific branding for its leading virtual assistant
    • Experian’s launches ChatGPT integration
    • Atlantic Union Bank leverages AI to stop scams
    • Greenlight focuses on AI education
    • Frost leads with human availability as a counterpoint to AI-powered support
  5. APPENDIX

    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology – US
    • US generation groups
    • Abbreviations

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